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Marantan refuses to cooperate in probe on Atimonan massacre
Superintendent Hansel Marantan — the lone policeman wounded in the January 6 supposed shootout in Quezon province which left 13 men in a convoy dead — has refused to cooperate with the investigation by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said Tuesday. The veteran police officer, who has been linked to past rubouts, still possesses the slug taken out of his leg which can prove who shot him. It is still not clear if the shot came from a passenger in the convoy, someone else manning the checkpoint, or Marantan's own gun.
The police chief of Region IV-A has been relieved from his post after two bloody incidents in his area, which caused President Benigno Aquino III to lose confidence in the police official's leadership, Interior and Local Government Manuel Roxas II announced Tuesday. At a press briefing in Camp Crame, Roxas said Chief Superintendent James Melad was removed from his post to give way to an “impartial investigation into the series of killings in the region involving policemen.” “Nawalan ng kumpiyansa ang Pangulo sa pamumuno ni General Melad. Quezon was in his command as well as Batangas. Para magkaroon ng malaya at hayag na imbestigasyon, minarapat na magkaroon ng pagbabago sa liderato,” he said. Last week, 13 men—including an environmentalist and two policemen on active duty—were killed by law enforcers after their two-vehicle convoy allegedly ignored a first checkpoint in Atimonan town in Quezon province. Police initially said the fatalities were members of a gun-for-hire group — a claim denied by the victim's relatives. Read full article here.
At a press briefing in Camp Crame, Roxas said the PNP fact-finding team's report on the bloody incident lacked “one important component” since Marantan did not give his statement on the matter.
“There is one important component na hindi nakasama dito [the report], hindi dahil sa kakulangan ng PNP pero dahil sa circumstances beyond our control, which is Supt. Marantan. Nung pinuntahan, hindi pumayag na sumailalim sa investigation ng fact-finding committee,” Roxas told reporters.
“Hindi pumayag sumagot sa katanungan. Hindi nagpa-inspect ng wounds. Pati mga slugs, hindi pina-release,” he added.
Roxas likewise called on Marantan to cooperate with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which was designated by President Benigno Aquino III as the sole investigating body on the Quezon incident.
“Pinapayuhan ko po si Supt. Marantan na sumailalim po kayo. Kung ayaw niyo sa PNP, sa NBI process. Hindi maganda sa katayuan ninyo na hindi sumama sa transparent na proseso para malaman ang buong katotohanan,” the DILG chief said.
On January 7, 13 men—including an environmentalist and two policemen on active duty—were killed by law enforcers after their two-vehicle convoy allegedly ignored a first checkpoint in Atimonan town. Police initially said the fatalities were members of a gun-for-hire group — a claim denied by the victim's relatives.
Marantan, an intelligence officer of the Region IV-A police office, was the only law enforcer injured in the supposed shootout. Ronald Pidlaoan, Marantan’s physician, earlier told GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo the police officer sustained fractures and gunshot wounds in his left forearm, left leg and right knee.
Superintendent Hansel Marantan provided a photo of the slug of unknown caliber removed from his leg. Photo by Superintendent Hansel Marantan
Although he refused to give his version of what happened to police investigators, Marantan agreed to be interviewed by various media outlets.
In his interview with GMA News, the controversial police officer maintained that the supposed shootout was a result of authorized operations of a unit formed by his superiors in preparation for the 2013 polls. He also denied newspaper reports that he and members of his family were involved in the illegal numbers game, jueteng. — RSJ/DM/HS, GMA News
